12-29. The Black Left Arm

 

Satou's here. "The main character who wields the forbidden power has lost one of his body part as the compensation."
It's a situation that happens often in shounen manga and novels with hot-blooded protagonists, but when it's happening to me in reality, it's not really something to joke around.

◇


I overlook the left hand dyed in non-lustrous jet black color.

I probably would be excited and welcomed this while saying, "Quiet down! O my left arm!" if I were still suffering from Chuunibyou, but now I simply feel completely perplexed.

I can move my fingers without problem, but I can't feel anything with my arm.
Like this, supplying magic power to Nana won't be fun, and I won't be able to enjoy various things with the beautiful onee-sans when I visit the shop.

--Wonder if a new arm will regrow if I cut it?

A stupid idea floats in my mind, probably because I'm tired.
Normally I would have never chosen this, but at this time I felt like it was a good idea as if I had received a divine revelation.

I put the Divine Sword that has served its purpose into Storage, and take out holy sword Durandal.

Holding Durandal with my right hand, I lightly tap-tap it on my left dark hand.
I feel hard metal-like sensation from it.

The darkened part is until the part between the wrist and the elbow.
I avoid that part and aim at the flesh-colored part.

I make up my mind and swing down Durandal to my left arm.
Clank, there was a light sound, and then it's split into two.

--The holy sword Durandal is.

Breaking the holy sword of divine gift, Durandal, just how hard it is.
My tired mind silently retort.

Magic power is leaking from the broken part of the holy sword, becoming violent wind that rages the surrounding.
I catch the flown blade with the usual [Magic Hand] and control the sword in my hand so that the magic power won't leak out.

I put the broken blade in its sheath and then I also put the other remaining part of Durandal into the sheath.

When I tried its scripture before, some small scratches from the fight with the [Golden Wild Boar King] were restored.
I decide to recite the scripture since there's nothing to lose in doing it.

"<<HANG ETERNALLY>> Durandal"

Blue light overflows from the sheath.
After the light subsides, I took it out of the sheath, and  Durandal had returned to its original form before it was broken.

I'd be lying if I didn't expect this, but I really can't believe that it'd recover from being broken.
As expected of the stable opening performer. I'll keep relying on it from now on.

Now then, let's try cutting my hand once more.

When I tried touching the part I cut earlier, it felt the same as the darkened part even though it's flesh-colored.
I put the golden armor's arm part to the storage, and after checking that it's the soft part with my right hand on the upper arm, I cut the part between the shoulder and the elbow with Durandal.

Red blood spills, and the arm is falling to the ground.
There's no pain thanks to Pain Resistance, but it's not something that's pleasant to see.

I put the arm into the Storage when it's falling, and block the cut with [Magic Hand].
Blood drip little by little to ground from the base of my arm.

--The next moment.

Swoosh, green colored bundle of vines grows toward the sky from the ground.
I took some distance away since I thought that a plant-type monster had appeared, but the thing that has grown to 10 meter high is the vine of a sweet potato.
Excluding its abnormal scale, it's a completely normal plant.

Don't tell me, it's because of my blood?
I can try experimenting it when I've got some free time, but right now is not the time to do such thing.

I heal the cut wound with [Aqua Heal] in order to prevent blood from dripping more than this.
The blood has stopped, but it doesn't seem like my arm will regrow.

I've expected this much.
During my experiment with mouses, [Aqua Heal] couldn't restore lost limbs either.

Before I take out an upper grade magic potion, I use my right hand to uproot the potato and put it into Storage.
It'll be annoying if this potato becomes a new seed of trouble after all.

I take out an upper magic potion that has been fully charged with magic power beforehand and drink it in one go.
In my experiment with mouses, this restored the lost arms and legs.

However, my arm doesn't regrow even after I wait for a while.

So my plan failed....
I grieve at my numbed mind from fatigue.

I also desist from connecting the cut hand from earlier back.

--What?

Something is caught in the corner of my consciousness.

For some reason, I got a flashback about when I dived into the scout's shadow.

--That's right.

Why was I able to interfere the shadow space with spirit, destroying it. <TLN: Spirit as in Fighting Spirit, not 'spirit being' (Seirei)>
The sakuramochi demon said [Primeval Magic] or something....
<TLN: I initially TL-ed it as Origin magic, but I think it should have been 'Primitive' instead. Edit:Changed to Primeval now>

There are many cases in fictional works where this kind of magic somehow does something with [Spirit] and [Image].
It should be enough if there's a material.

I take out the treasured magic potion barrel from Storage, and soak my cut arm in it.
I scream loudly with fighting spirit while remembering the scene from an old anime where the character got resurrected from bleached bones.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

I don't know whether something called [Primitive Magic] really exists, or [Self-Healing] skill showed its full potential.

However, rather than that--

The hand I've pulled from the barrel, which has been properly restored, is many times more important.
It seems the wound was re-opened during the restoration, the upper grade magic potion in the barrel has been ruined with my blood getting mixed in, but I can just make more something like potion.
I've got a lot of Blood Spheres, that are needed for making upper grade magic potion, from True Ancestor Ban.

Now then, I guess I'll go back to the Royal Capital....

I contact Arisa with [Telephone] magic.

『Arisa I've cleaned up this side. Let's reunite in the mansion.』
『I-is it over already? I could hear some loud sound from outside the royal capital, are you alright?　Are you injured anywhere?』
『Yeah, I'm fine.』

I tell her so and cut the call.

Before invoking teleport magic, I exterminate the remaining monsters in the royal capital with [Remote Arrow] and [Short Stun].
There are some remaining in the underground and the indoors, but there isn't anyone nearby there, there are opposing forces and it's not urgent, so leaving them for later should be alright.

"Ten-cha~n"

I heard the voice of Mito coming here flying while fluttering on her broom.
There's the homonculus Ten-chan beside Mito too.

If Mito's identity is just as I've guessed, then I want to tell her that I'm Suzuki Ichirou and various other things.
However, there are other things that need to be done right now.
I can meet Mito as many times as I want if I just put a marker on her.

I leave the fainted heavenly dragon, and teleported back to my mansion in the royal capital.


◇


"Master~?"

After returning to Pendragon Mansion, the first person who comes welcoming me is Tama.
I catch Tama who's jumping straight to my head with [Magic Hand] and give her a lift.

"I'm home, Tama."
"Not injured~?"
"Yeah, of course."

I tell a lie to the worried Tama.
No, it's the truth in my current condition.

"Satou."

Mia embraces me with a thud.
Our armament are obstructing each other, so the reunion doesn't look good.

Following the two, the other girls are happy for my safety.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work. I'll ask you to do another job when the dawn comes, so get some nap for three hours."

I took off my golden armor's helmet, and told so to everyone.
My disguise mask was removed together with the helmet.

"Understood."
"Aye!"
"Yes nanodesu."

Everyone answers unanimously to my instruction, and matching that, their empty stomaches also sing in chorus.
It seems they're hungry after fighting a long battle.

I take out a wagon with pre-made light meals and fruit drinks for midnight snacks behind everyone.

"Then, I shall make something light before we sleep."
"No, I've prepared them already, for those who are hungry, eat them and then take a nap. You can take off the golden armor since you're going to act in your usual condition after the sleep."

I stop Lulu and point at the wagon behind everyone.

"Wa~i"
"Roasto beefu-san nanodesu!"
"Announcing the existences of karages with bones."
"They look truly delicious."
"Parfait."
"Arisa, there are potatoes too."
"....Since when."

Except Arisa who looks like she needs an explanation, everyone begins to capture the sandwiches and karages.
Lulu who usually minds her manner seems to be quite hungry too, she has food on both her hands, putting them into her mouth in a hurry.

"Sleep after you eat lightly okay. You should sleep early since I'll wake you up forcefully once it's dawn."

Everyone nods while continuing to chew their food, silence comes to the room.

"--Don't you need a space magician?"

However, Arisa who's teleported to the corridor ahead stands.

"So, where is Master going to alone?"
"I'm not going out to fight. I'm just going to help people who are trapped under the debris you see."
"Then, everyone should together--"

I shake my head before Arisa finish her sentences.

"Don't force yourself. Everyone has exceeded their fatigue limit after continuously fighting a greater demon. They'll collapse from overworking if they don't rest their nerves once."
"But isn't Master the same too."

It's the truth that I'm mentally tired, nevertheless I'd feel bad leaving the people that need to be rescued alone.

"It's alright, I'll change places with everyone and get some sleep when it's morning."

I persuade Arisa while patting her head, and I get back to the Royal Capital's sky through Echigoya Workshop's roof.
I've re-equipped the disguise mask, but I use the Mito-like disguise mask that I'm going to use for evening party on the area around my eyes where the golden helmet isn't covering.


◇


Before commencing the rescue operation, I'll report to every place I'm related to.

I contact the king in the royal castle with [Telephone], and report that I've finished exterminating the greater demon and the three lines that appeared later--I told him that they were magic weapons prepared by the demon.
In addition, I also tell him the location and the number of the remaining monsters, and ask for the Shiga Eight Swords and the holy knights to dispatch.
Just in case, I asked him to tell the citizens not to eat meat from red rope pattern monsters when he announces the resolution of the incident with [Public Information Space]. Even though I think it's fine, it'll be troubling if there are some strange side effects.

Next, I contact Echigoya's manager with [Telephone] magic, tell her that the battle is over, and instruct her to prepare the necessary arrangements for reviving the royal capital from now on.
Even though she should just have a sleepless night in fear, the manager replied normally, "Certainly", and began to act.
It's truly reliable of her, but please be careful of workaholic okay.

Next, I also tell Porina the workshop manager who's taking refuge in Echigoya's workshop underground to start the preparation for helping the victims.
I don't have much time, so I only told a word of gratitude to every member of Echigoya Firm starting from Tifaliza and Nell.


◇


There are about 8670 people that need to be helped.
There are a lot, but it might be what can be expected from the leading city of the continent with 200.000 population.
Most of them are injured people who ran away outside the royal capital. It seems there are priests and priestess, but looks like their healing aren't enough.
Among those, around 1000 are people under collapsed buildings, and people who were left behind in buildings that caught fire.

There are many who are from the lower-income class area. The victims from the wealthy and noble area are in two-digit number too, but they're few overall, so I go to the low-income class area first to help.

I saw a pair of young brother and sister frantically trying to move the debris on top of a fallen building.

"Someone! Please help! Mother and the others are under here!"
"No one's coming. Help clear even one piece of debris if you got time to scream for help."
"Onii"

Checking the map, there are these children's mother and several other people under this building.

--My way of helping is quite simple.

While landing on top of the building, I specify the range on the map and put the debris and the building materials into my Storage.
After putting the debris into my Storage in a flash, just like that, the people who were under the building lay bare.
The siblings who suddenly lost their footholds screamed while falling, but I catch them with [Magic Hand] and put them on my shoulders.

There were many injured people, so I healed them all with [Aqua Heal], and carry them to the safety on the side of the road with [Magic Hand].
The hands of the siblings who are moved from meeting their mother are in bad shapes too, so I also heal them.

I lightly raise my hand toward their words of gratitude, and immediately head toward the other people who need help.
I'm doing rescue at the rate of 16 people per minute, putting the corpses of monsters I find along the way.
I don't remember leaving any corpse behind, but I'll prioritize saving people who are alive for now.

Along the way, the king began a broadcast, and then the people who were panicking began to noticeably calm down. As expected of the king of a large country.

I completed the rescue operation faster than I had planned. It didn't even take one hour due to me abandoning prudence.
It's usually plain, but the effect of unique skill is immense after all.

Next, I go outside the royal capital, and heal the injured people with [Aqua Heal] while still floating in the air.
I've expected people thanking and cheering me, but there are even people who fall prostrate and pray to me.

--Please do that kind of thing toward God.


◇


It's two hours before dawn.

This time I'm removing debris blocking the royal capital's roads by putting them into Storage.
Doing them all is troublesome as expected, so I prioritize the paths people use for evacuation like the main road and parks.
There are places that have caved-in, so I contact the prime minister who's dealing with the royal capital to prioritize dispatching earth magicians there.
Now the supply cart units of soldiers and the knights who are doing disaster relief and victims aid should be able to move.

Lastly, I collect the corpses, and leave the memorial service for them to the neighboring inhabitants.

I check on the menu's memo if I left anything.
Alright, no problem. What hero Nanashi should do in the royal capital is complete.

And then I go gather around 202 life magicians and 11 priests from the neighboring cities before the daybreak.
I had got the king in the royal castle to issue a letter of authorization beforehand, so I was able to recruit the people from the local viceroys and governors without any problem.
Of course, I'm only able to gather these people so fast in such a time probably because of transporting by teleportation, and the 10 gold coins reward for each of them.
I want to scout some of these people to Echigoya, so I've instructed Porina the workshop manager and Nell the life magician to check the appropriate ones.

I let them stay in the appendix dorm of Echigoya Workshop, I've gathered them in order to sustain sanitation of the people who have lost their houses during this incident.
Being covered in mud on top of being hungry and tired, they should feel at the bottom now.

I don't need to supply the food, the king has released the emergency savings of the treasury and mobilized the prime minister, the generals, the supply cart units, and the lower bureaucrats and officials.
With this, there are only rebuilding and holding funeral services for the victims left to do.

The dance party tonight is probably still going to be held in order to show the dignity of the kingdom toward foreign countries.
It's the big moment for our girls, so I'd like to be able to enjoy it without anxiety in the future.

....Still, I'm tired.

With the rising morning sun behind me, I teleport back to Pendragon Mansion where everyone is sleeping.







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